“I was a little worried, but seeing your eyes, I realized you’ve really changed a lot. I believe you can do it, my child!”
Duke Utah happily patted his sixth son’s shoulder.
Then he led him out of the secret room and closed the door again.
Just as Vladimir thought Duke Utah had no other instructions for him,
Duke Utah took out a heavy bag of gold coins from his drawer.
“There’s about 1000 gold coins here. It should be enough for you and your sister to live on for a while,”
the Duke said, a little unsure.
“If you run out of money later, you can write a letter, but remember to say so in advance.”
“The original family is very far from here. Your letter might take about half a year to reach here.”
“So, if you find you’re running out of money, be sure to tell me in time. I’ll send someone to deliver more immediately, but that will also take about half a year on the road.”
Vladimir thought about it, which meant he would have to detect his financial crisis a year in advance.
However, he then recalled that his annual pocket money before was less than 1 gold coin, so the purchasing power of these 1000 gold coins would definitely be enough for two normal children to live for several decades.
“Alright, Father.”
Vladimir took the heavy money bag.
After waiting a while, and confirming that the Duke had nothing else to say to him, he returned to his room.
The moment he lay on the bed, he finally relaxed his entire body.
Although they were his own family, the choice of such a destiny still put him under immense pressure.
He briefly tidied his personal belongings. After packing everything into a bundle about the size of a school bag, he arrived early in the hall to wait.
After two days of rest, the Duchess’s complexion had improved significantly.
At this time, she was holding Winnie and strolling through various parts of the castle, seemingly wanting Winnie to see her home more before leaving.
The Duchess saw her sixth son.
By this time, the Duke had already informed his wife of his decision, so the Duchess came to Vladimir’s side.
“Son, you must protect yourself.”
There’s a good saying from his previous life: a mother worries when her child travels far.
Upon learning that her sixth son was about to depart, the guilt she had felt for not being able to attend to all her children due to their large number erupted at this moment.
Looking at his teary-eyed mother, Vladimir felt a touch of emotion.
“Mother, you don’t need to worry. I’m already an Intermediate Knight, and my strength is quite reputable within the castle.”
“Besides, I’m already 14 years old. If I were in an ordinary family, you would already be arranging my marriage, wouldn’t you?”
Vladimir did not want his mother to be overly sad, as her body was still very weak after giving birth.
He decided to change the subject.
Indeed, once the topic of marriage came up, a mother would always pay extra attention.
“Yes, that’s right. From now on, you’ll have to rely on yourself for your marriage. I originally saw several suitable girls and was thinking of picking one for you.”
The Duchess then remembered her previous worries, as her sixth son’s reputation was really not very good. So she had always worried he wouldn’t find a partner.
But now there was no need to worry. Returning to the original family, everything would basically start anew.
Thinking of this, the Duchess couldn't help but smile, and much of her sorrow of parting was diluted.
Next,
the Duchess no longer focused on the farewell.
Instead, she began to teach Vladimir how to take care of a baby.
After about half an hour.
The other siblings in the family also came to the hall.
Although there were usually some conflicts and disagreements among siblings due to the competition for various resources,
when they learned that Vladimir was leaving with their youngest sister, they were still exceptionally reluctant to part.
Vladimir hugged and bid farewell to each of his siblings.
Everyone also adored their youngest sister. Her mischievous appearance made everyone want to pinch, kiss, and hug her.
After another day of growth, the child had already grown to be like a seven or eight-month-old baby.
She could sit up by herself and was starting to learn to crawl. Even when her little feet were supported, she would kick her legs, trying to stand up, which was very adorable.
Perhaps this was the marvel of a Wizard. It could make a baby, even if only two days old, appear like a normal six-month-old infant.
As everyone was discussing the wonders of Wizardry,
the group of Wizards also arrived in the hall.
Accompanying them was Duke Utah.
“Since everything is ready, let’s depart as soon as possible. The journey is very long.”
Seventh Grandpa, who was leading, spoke with a somewhat cold voice. He only offered a slight smile to the Duchess and the Duke.
After all, Wizards and mortals exist in completely different worlds, and he couldn’t let them misunderstand the danger of Wizards.
Then Seventh Grandpa, along with the other Wizards, walked out of the hall without looking back and went to the square.
Duke Utah immediately followed with his family.
As Vladimir and the others emerged, they saw the several giant griffins already waiting in the square.
Duke Utah and the Duchess reluctantly placed their twelfth daughter, Winnie, into Vladimir’s hands.
“Sixth Son, you must take good care of Winnie.”
“Alright, Father, Mother, please don’t worry.”
As Vladimir was saying goodbye to his family, he suddenly felt a gentle force beneath his feet slowly lifting him up.
Then, he heard Seventh Grandpa say not to resist.
This force then slowly lifted him onto the griffin’s back.
It was his first time riding such a huge and fierce magical beast.
Vladimir’s calves couldn’t help but tremble. This was a creature’s instinctive fear of a powerful existence.
“Haha, don’t be nervous.”
Vladimir noticed that only Seventh Grandpa and he shared one griffin.
The griffin’s back was wider than expected, with an area of about five to ten square meters.
It was more than enough space for the two adults and a baby to sit comfortably.
As soon as Vladimir sat down, the griffin beneath him spread its massive wings.
With just two gentle flaps, he felt himself rapidly ascend. This startled him, and he could only tightly grip the feathers on the griffin’s back with one hand.
After only a second or two, he could no longer see his parents.
The family castle also became a small black dot.
But miraculously, there seemed to be a suction force on the griffin’s back, firmly fixing him to it. No matter how the griffin changed speed or direction, he felt no wind on its back.
“Haha, are you feeling very reluctant to part?”
Seventh Grandpa put away his serious expression and asked Vladimir with a chuckle.
“I am very reluctant.”
Vladimir didn’t try to hide his feelings and directly spoke his true thoughts.
“I understand your feelings, but you must be mentally prepared. The further you go on the path of a Wizard in the future, the further you will be from your family, who are ordinary people.”
Seventh Grandpa said with a touch of emotion.
“Do you know how old I am?”
“200 years old?”
This question successfully diverted Vladimir’s attention. Vladimir tried to guess high.
“Wrong, I am over 500 years old.”
“And most First-level Wizards have a lifespan of over a thousand years.”
“But someone like your father, even if he breaks through to a Sky Knight, his lifespan will be at most a little over 200 years.”
“This is the huge difference between Wizards and Knights. We are destined to live in solitude; only truth can accompany us forever.”
Seventh Grandpa introduced to Vladimir with a hint of sadness.
“You haven’t been exposed to the Wizard World yet, so your basic knowledge is very lacking. And for Wizards, knowledge is the most important thing.”
As he spoke, a very thick book suddenly appeared in Seventh Grandpa’s hand.
“This is an introductory textbook for a Wizard Apprentice.”
“Your current mental strength is equivalent to a newly initiated Junior Wizard Apprentice.”
“I know you have many questions; you can find the answers yourself in the book.”
Saying that, the book in Seventh Grandpa’s hand floated to Vladimir, and at the same time, the baby in his arms also left his embrace and floated into Seventh Grandpa’s hand.
During the rest of the journey, Seventh Grandpa constantly teased the baby in his hand but did not say anything else to Vladimir.
And Vladimir was exceptionally calm. He seized the time to open the book in his hand and flipped through it page by page.
Although their flying speed was very fast. The clouds beside the griffin flew backward like shooting stars.
However, there was no mist on the griffin’s back, allowing Vladimir to study without any disturbance.
This introductory Wizard textbook explained many basic concepts.
For example, Wizards need meditation methods for cultivation, and the Wizard power cultivated by different meditation methods varies greatly.
For example, Wizards are very rare; on average, only one newborn with Wizard aptitude might be born among a hundred thousand people.
After flying for about two hours. As Vladimir was engrossed in his studies, the massive griffin suddenly began to decelerate. Then it slowly lowered its altitude and finally landed on a bustling platform square.
“Are we there?”
Vladimir looked at the crowds of people around him.
he asked with a hint of excitement.
“Haha, not yet.”
“This is the northernmost part of the kingdom, and our family is at the southernmost tip of the kingdom.”
“To be honest, if your father hadn’t strongly insisted, and if the territory given by the kingdom wasn’t truly large enough, we would never have come here to establish a family branch.”
Seventh Grandpa said gently.
“Next, we will take an airship to cross the entire kingdom and return to the family.”
“There are many people here, so stay close to us.”
Vladimir followed closely behind Seventh Grandpa.
At this time, he also noticed the attire of the people around him; they were generally ordinary people, with almost no Wizards. It seemed that Wizards were indeed very rare.
However, these people seemed to already know of the existence of Wizards, showing no excessive curiosity towards them, only an instinctive reverence and distance.
“These griffins are not ours; we rented them temporarily.”
“They will fly back on their own later; you don’t need to worry about them.”
Seventh Grandpa, seeing Vladimir’s gaze constantly sweeping over the griffins, told him with a slight smile.
“Oh, I thought these griffins were ours. I was still wondering if these griffins would fly back by themselves.”
Vladimir rubbed his head and said softly.
The rest of the journey was uneventful. The group boarded the airship returning to their family.
This airship was enormous, about five to six hundred meters wide and over four thousand meters long, covered in mysterious and intricate patterns.
They stayed on the top floor, in the largest luxurious suite.
The luxurious suite had six or seven rooms.
Seventh Grandpa let Vladimir choose any room he wanted.
After that, he didn’t see Seventh Grandpa or the others again, as they all needed to meditate and cultivate.
Someone brought him three meals a day. Vladimir was happy to have the peace and quiet, except for occasionally needing to care for Winnie, who was starting to wobble and learn to walk.
The rest of his time was mostly spent on that thick introductory textbook.
Unconsciously, four days passed like this.
The airship finally arrived in the southern part of the kingdom.
Vladimir had finally reached the Wizard World he yearned for!